Buffalo Bills News - May 17, 2004

Chandler Stands Tall Among Bills QBs [10:14 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'"I have faith that God is in control, that has always helped me through whatever happens," Chandler said. "I want to be a Buffalo Bill. I have a great coaching staff ahead of me, directly being under Sam Wyche who is a great offensive coach and quarterback coach."'

SWAN SONGS: Off-season list of NFL's retiring players [8:47 AM]Fox Sports reports:
BRUCE SMITH, defensive end — 19 seasons
Buffalo Bills (1985-99), Washington Redskins (2000-2003)
Career in a nutshell: Though some critics moaned that Smith stuck around too long with his eye solely on the all-time NFL sack record, no one can argue the fact that he was one of the best defensive ends of the last quarter century. Last season, he finally passed Reggie White for the all-time record and Smith is the only player with 200 career sacks. Under coach Marv Levy, Smith was a cornerstone of the fabled Bills teams that reached an unprecedented four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s.

May 16, 2004

For new starters, it's ready or not [11:59 AM]NFL.COM reports:
Getting after the passer is what San Diego needs Otis Leverette to do and Buffalo expects the same from Ryan Denney in Buffalo.

Backup Plan [11:58 AM]CNN/SI reports:
Blake would give Buffalo a fairly safe middle option, should starter Drew Bledsoe continue to struggle or go down with an injury, and first-round pick J.P. Losman prove to be at least a year away, as everyone expects.

Cornelius Bennett Inducted into Alabama Sports HoF [11:57 AM]Birmingham News reports:
"Starring for the Buffalo Bills, Bennett was named NFL Rookie of the Year. He played in five Super Bowls, appeared in five Pro Bowls and was named second team on the NFL All-Decade Team."

Open Market Not Kind to Collins [11:57 AM]ESPN.com reports:
Drew Bledsoe recognized the youth movement around the league and renegotiated his contract to buy time for J.P. Losman to eventually replace him in Buffalo.

Wilson gives a primer on sharing [8:57 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"The sharing of revenue is really the foundation of the NFL, and it dates back to George Halas in the early days of the league," Wilson said during a session at the league owners meetings in Florida. "It's what sets the NFL apart from the other leagues, who don't share hardly anything. . . . We have something special now. Let's keep it that way."'

May 14, 2004

The Influence of Numbers [11:30 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'"I think it's always going to be that way," said Williams of his stature. "Just being at my size is something that has kind of always been a knock against me, and people are going to look at it as long as I'm able to play football. It's just something I'm going to have to deal with."'

Playing on Perseverance [11:29 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'"He's an overachiever," said Bills scout Joe Haering who was impressed with Lamar's work ethic, "and he's a physical corner. He's intelligent. He's got football smarts."'

May 13, 2004

Vincent Expected To Play Leadership Role [4:40 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'"I like to lead by example," Vincent said admitting that he is not a very vocal individual, but added, "When I am asked, I will lend or share any knowledge that I may have from personal experience. That is one of the reasons why Mr. Wilson, Coach Mularkey, and Tom Donahoe decided to bring me in, is from a leadership standpoint."'

Moulds To Appear At Practice With The Pros [11:52 AM]TiCats.ca reports:
'This Saturday, young Ticat fans take the field to learn the fundamentals of football from their hometown players with a special appearance by an All-Pro receiver and some of his teammates. Eric Moulds, the All-Pro receiver from the Buffalo Bills, joins Ticat players and coaches and other Bills players as kids ages 8-13 are able to take the field at Ivor Wynne Stadium and “Practice with the Pros!"'

Bills name Ross top national scout [5:30 AM]Trenton Times reports:
'"I'm looking forward to a new start with the Bills," Ross said. "It's a good organization. The owner (Ralph Wilson) is a great man. Have you ever met him? He's a real guy. He's just so down to Earth. He's the kind of guy you can go into and talk to any time."'

May 12, 2004

Introducing… Lee Evans [9:11 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'Q: Who do you feel has contributed the most to your success?
LE: Good family support and the will to reach my goals.'

Bills hire Ross as national college scout [8:45 PM]AP reports:
'Ross, a Princeton graduate, spent the past seven years as a scout with the Philadelphia Eagles, including the last three as the team's director of college scouting. With Buffalo, Ross is reunited with Tom Modrak, the Bills' assistant general manager and chief scout. Modrak had also been the Eagles' director of football operations from 1998-01.'

WR Coleman Returns For Second Season [3:26 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'"With Antonio Brown there, it's a tough spot to get right now," Coleman said. "I did return last year in preseason. I just hope to get another opportunity at that."'

Bills Hire Ross As National College Scout [3:25 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'Ross was most recently with the Philadelphia Eagles as the Director of College Scouting (2000-2003). Prior to his time as a director, Ross served as the Eagles eastern regional scout (1997-00).'

Some notes on Thurman and Waterman [1:58 PM]Olean Times Herald reports:
'Yet even if the pot didn’t belong to Thomas, there was a more disturbing aspect to the possession arrest. Police indicated that he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. And for Thomas, that’s much worse news than a marijuana bust.'

Frostproof hosts Travis Henry Day [1:11 PM]NewsZap.com reports:
'The event will consist of meet and greet, music, food, raffles and auction items (autographed items by Travis and other NFL players). Proceeds from the event will benefit the Hilltop First Baptist Church and Frostproof High School Athletic Fund.'

Drugs aren't Thomas' main worry [8:54 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Perhaps the most troubling detail to emerge from Thomas' arrest on misdemeanor drug possession, strangely enough, was not the drugs. It's that police found him drunk at 2 a.m., hours before he was scheduled to tee off in Cornelius Bennett's celebrity golf tournament. Excessive drinking doesn't warrant criminal charges, but it's a felony in the life of an alcoholic who devoted his recovery to helping others.'

Browns vs. Bills at Fisher [5:20 AM]Rochester D&C reports:
'While more NFL teams are electing to conduct training camp at their regular-season facilities, Mularkey still favors getting away to train, and he fully understands how important Rochester is to the Bills marketing effort. ”A lot of people win in this situation,” he said.'

May 11, 2004

Browns Coming To Fisher [8:37 PM]WOKR-TV reports:
'This marks the third consecutive year that the teams have met during training camp and the second time that the event has taken place at St. John Fisher.'

Bills To Host Browns At Training Camp [4:39 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'The two teams will practice against each other twice on Friday, August 6 and will hold a full scrimmage on Saturday, August 7th at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY.'